1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device capable of performing Near-Field Communication (NFC), and more particularly, to an apparatus and method by which a device capable of performing NFC is provided with a service from a Wide Area Network (WAN) by using a communication function of a device capable of accessing a Local Area Network (LAN) and the WAN.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the use of Consumer Electronics devices (CE) capable of performing Near-Field Communication (NFC), for example, MP3 players, Portable Multimedia Players (PMPs), game players, netbooks, and the like, exponentially increases, users seek a convenient method of downloading content.
Users generally search for content reproducible in a CE by using a Personal Computer (PC) over the Internet, and download the content found in the PC. When the CE and the PC are connected using a dedicated cable, the CE downloads the content from the PC. Through this process, the CE can then reproduce the downloaded content. Presently, devices can share content by using a Bluetooth scheme in place of the cable.
However, a method for a CE itself to directly access a WAN) is still limited. For example, some CEs can access the WAN only when the Internet is available to them through Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) in the vicinity of an Access Point (AP). Consequently, there is a need for a method in which devices, that is, CEs, which can perform NFC, but cannot directly access the WAN, access the WAN through a gateway to use a desired service, for example, to download content. To meet the need, a Converged Personal Network Service (CPNS) has been proposed.
CPNS refers to a service in which, after a Personal Network (PN) is configured by combining a device serving as a gateway for performing communication with the WAN with a CE for reproducing a service and content, the CE accesses a service and/or content provider in the WAN through the device serving as the gateway to be provided with a corresponding service or content. In the CPNS, the device serving as the gateway is referred to as a PN gateway and the CE connected to the PN gateway through NFC to access the WAN through the PN gateway is referred to as a Personal Network Entity (PNE).